Cutting feature for cloth measuring machines



I 1 w. E. AESCHBACH 2,112,413

March 29, 1938.

' CUTTING FEATURE FOR CLOT Filed Aug. 12, 1935 Patented Mar. 29, 1938UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CUTTING FEATURE FOB- CLOTH MEASUR- INGMACHINES Application August 12, 1935, Serial No. 35,726

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a method for marking cloth, ribbon or the likewhich is particularly useful in connection with cloth measuring andcomputing machines as used in stores, though not in any sense limited inuse to such machines.

In the sale of cloth, ribbon and other fabrics, a measured length is cutfrom a bolt or roll. Heretofore it has been substantially the universalpractice to cut a measured length, using shears or other suitablecutting implement, making a plain out which is very easily duplicated.

It has been found that in some instances customers return the goods soldthem claiming a shortage of measurement. In such cases the store whichsold the goods has had to take back the goods first sold and furnish thecustomer with the desired length. Such goods as are returned them becomeremnants, which must be sold at a loss, as it is practically impossibleto dispose of a particular measured length of cloth except in thepractice of using it as a remnant and selling it at a reduced price.

Because of the ease of duplication of the out which has heretofore beenmade it has been possible for a customer to order a length of cloth,ribbon or the like which will be delivered to the customer accuratelymeasured. After the goods are delivered, the customer may cut a portionfrom the goods delivered and then return the balance to the storeclaiming undermeasurement. This has happened and, irrespective of thecertainty of the merchant that it has occurred, he has been faced withthe necessity of taking back the goods sold, for which undermeasurementhas been claimed, and furnish a new full measure of the goods,sustaining not only the loss incurred through selling the goods returnedas a remnant, but also that which comes from that portion of the goodswhich was abstracted from the first sold.

It is an object and purpose of the present invention to provide a methodof marking the goods sold at each end thereof so that when it isreturned to the store with a claim of undermeasurement, it can bepositively determined whether in fact such undermeasurement occurred, orwhether full measurement was given and a part of the goods cut off andthe balance returned.

The invention which I have made, while of a simple character, is verypractical and useful and has been applied by me to fabric measuring orcomputing machines of the general type and character illustrated inpatents having Nos. 1,336,230 and 1,369,663, both granted upon theapplication of Walter E. Hosch.

For understanding of the invention reference may be had to the followingdescription, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, inwhich,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view, with parts broken away, illustrating acloth measuring machine equipped with the cutting blades by means ofwhich my invention is accomplished.

Fig. 2 is a plan of a length of fabric which has been. measured on themachine and which has been cut from the bolt or roll, and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan illustrating the manner in which the fabricis marked at an edge at the end of the measuring operation of themachine so as to distinctively mark both the piece which has beenmeasured and sold and the end of the bolt or roll from which said pieceis cut.

The machine, which shows a conventional type of cloth measuring andcomputing machine, is very extensively used in retail stores. It has ahorizontal slot 2 through which the fabric is drawn during the measuringoperation, the fabric actuating a measuring roller which in turn drivessuitable indicators and price charts, so that at the end of a measuringoperation the amount of the fabric measured and the cost thereof may beread by the clerk. The mechanism for accomplishing what has beendescribed is no part of the present invention and need not be set forthin detail.

With my invention a notched cutting blade 3 is located at the rearportion of the throat or slot 2 substantially flush with the bottom sideof said slot or the upper side of the table over which the fabric isdrawn. In machines of this character a cooperating cutting blade iscarried on a pivotally mounted lever 4 which, at its upper end, has anoutwardly extending thumb piece 5 whereby the operator may press thereonand move the lever downwardly, a spring (not shown) normally holding thelever in the upper position appearing in Fig. 1.

In the carrying out of my invention a cooperating cutting blade 6 havinga notched surface at l is secured to the lever in such a position thatwhen the lever is turned downwardly the notched cutting surfaces 3 and lcooperate to slit the inner edge of the cloth or ribbon which is locatedin the slot 2, to mark the point at which the length of fabric measuredis to be cut from the bolt or roll.

Referring to Fig. 3, a fragment of the fabric of the bolt or roll isindicated at 8. When the lever 4 is depressed at the end of themeasuring operation a out which is made in the edge of the fabric of azig-zag character is shown at 9. This cut may be not over one-half of aninch in length. The remainder of the cut, so as to sever the measuredpiece from the bolt, will be substantially along the dotted line Ill,and made as a plain cut, as by shears or other suitable cutting means.That portion indicated at 8a at the right of the dotted line II] will bethe fabric measured and cut from the bolt, while that indicated at 8bwill be of the fabric remaining with the bolt.

In Fig. 2 there is shown a length of fabric II, which has been measuredand which has been out from the bolt. It is apparent that when anyfabric is notched at its edge, using the type of cutting knivesillustrated at 3 and 1, there will be two sides to the cut, one of anirregular zigzag character at the end of the fabric measured and theother of a similar character at the front end of the fabric remaining onthe bolt. Therefore, on any measurement of the fabric the front endthereof will be marked as indicated at 9a by reason of the preceding cutmade upon completion of the preceding sale. The rear end of the fabricII measured will be marked with a similar zig-zag cut as indicated at9b. Therefore any length of goods measured on the machine isdistinctively marked at both ends. A customer having pilferingpropensities cannot cut from either end of the goods and escapedetection.

The invention, while relatively simple, is very practical and useful.The character of the zigzag marking shown may be widely varied withoutdeparting from the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patents is:

In a cloth measuring machine, means for measuring cloth by passing anedge thereof through the machine and means for notching an edge of saidcloth at the end of said measured distance comprising a shear havingjaws with medially positioned serrated portions.

WALTER E. AESCHBACH.

